Noted for having "a strong signature voice and a literally acrobatic ability on stage",[2] Pink has received mostly positive reception from music critics.[3] She has sold over 136 million records worldwide. She has sold over 16 million albums in the United States. Her career accolades include three Grammy Awards, a Brit Award, and six MTV Video Music Awards. In 2009, Billboard recognized Pink as the Pop Songs Artist of the Decade. Pink was also the second most-played female solo artist in the United Kingdom during the 2000s decade, behind Madonna. VH1 ranked her number 10 on their list of the 100 Greatest Women in Music, while Billboard awarded her the Woman of the Year in 2013. At the 63rd annual BMI Pop Awards, she received the BMI President's Award for "her outstanding achievement in songwriting and global impact on pop culture and the entertainment industry."[4]

Alecia Beth Moore was born on September 8, 1979,[5] in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, to nurse Judy and insurance salesman Jim Moore, a Vietnam veteran.[6][7][8][9][10] Her father was Catholic (of Irish and German descent) and her mother was Jewish (of Lithuanian-Jewish and German-Jewish descent).[11] She describes her background as: "I'm Irish-German-Lithuanian-Jew".[12] Although a healthy baby at birth, she quickly developed asthma that plagued her through her early years.[13] Pink attended Central Bucks High School West.[7]

When she was just a toddler, her parents began having marital problems, and before she was 10 her parents had divorced.[6]

Pink developed her voice early in life. In high school, Pink joined her first band, Middleground, but it disbanded upon losing a battle of the bands competition. As a teenager, she wrote lyrics as an outlet for her feelings, and her mother commented, "Her initial writings were always very introspective. Some of it was very black, and very deep, almost worrisome."[13]

She began performing in Philadelphia clubs when she was about 14. She adopted her stagename, "Pink", around this time. She had had that nickname for quite some time by that point, and initially it had been "a mean thing".[14] She had gotten that name from the character "Mr. Pink" in the 1992 film Reservoir Dogs. Pink has said, "I was extreme. I went through phases from skateboarder, to hip-hopper, to rave child, to lead singer in a band. I did it all, and all at the same time." At 14, she was convinced to audition to become a member of the all-female group Basic Instinct, and earned a spot in the lineup. Ultimately, the group disbanded without releasing any material.[15] At 16, Pink and two other teenage girls, Stephanie Galligan[16] and Chrissy Conway, formed the R&B group Choice. A copy of their first song, "Key to My Heart", was sent to LaFace Records in Atlanta, Georgia, where L.A. Reid overheard it and arranged for the group to fly there so he could see them perform. After that, he signed them to a record deal. Since the three girls were under 18 at the time, their parents had to cosign the contract. The group relocated to Atlanta and recorded an album, which was never released, and "Key to My Heart" appeared on the soundtrack to the 1996 film Kazaam. During a Christmas party, Reid gave Pink an ultimatum: go solo or go home. Choice disbanded in 1998.[citation needed]

After Choice disbanded, Pink signed a recording contract with LaFace Records and began working on her debut solo album with producers such as Babyface, Kandi Burruss and Tricky Stewart.[17] Her debut single, "There You Go", was released in February 2000 and became her first top-ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it peaked at number seven.[18] Internationally, the song also charted inside the top ten in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.[19] In April, Pink's debut album, Can't Take Me Home, was released to commercial success. Despite a moderate peak of 26 on the Billboard 200 chart, the album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for two million units shipped in the United States.[20][21] It also went platinum in the United Kingdom and multi-platinum in Australia and Canada, while selling over four million copies worldwide.[22][23][24] Critical reception to the album was mixed.[25] The album's second single, "Most Girls", peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100[18] and became her first chart-topping single in Australia.[26] "You Make Me Sick" was released as the final single and reached number 33 on the Hot 100.[18]

Tired of being marketed as another cookie cutter pop act, as well as eager both to be seen as a more serious songwriter and musician and to perform the type of music she wanted to, Pink took her sound in a new direction and sought more artistic or creative control during the recording of her second album, Missundaztood.[33] She recruited Linda Perry, former singer of 4 Non Blondes (one of Pink's favorite groups in her teenage years).[34] Pink moved into Perry's Los Angeles home where the pair spent several months writing songs for the album.[35] Perry co-wrote and co-produced the album with Dallas Austin and Scott Storch, and according to VH1's Driven program, Antonio "LA" Reid of LaFace Records was not initially content with the new music Pink was making. The album, named Missundaztood because of Pink's belief that people had a wrong image of her,[34] was released in November 2001.[36]

During the same period, a song Pink co-wrote with Damon Elliott was released on Mýa's album Moodring.[citation needed] In 2005, Pink collaborated with Lisa Marie Presley on the track "Shine", released on Presley's second album Now What. Pink took a break to write the songs for her fourth album, I'm Not Dead, which she said she titled as such because "It's about being alive and feisty and not sitting down and shutting up even though people would like you to."[43] Pink worked with producers Max Martin, Billy Mann, Christopher Rojas, Butch Walker, Lukasz Gottwald, and Josh Abraham on the album. The album's release through LaFace Records in April 2006 was a substantial success throughout the world, particularly in Australia. The album reached the top ten in the US, the top five in the UK, No. 1 in Germany, and was No. 1 in Australia for two non-consecutive weeks.

The album's lead single, "Stupid Girls", was Pink's biggest US hit since 2002 and earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Its music video, in which she parodies celebrities such as Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Simpson, Mary-Kate Olsen, and Paris Hilton,[44] won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Pop Video. Subsequent singles "Who Knew" and "U + Ur Hand" were substantial hits in Australia and Europe, and they later became top ten singles in the US. in 2007. The non-US singles were "Nobody Knows", a minor hit in the UK, Australia and Germany; "Dear Mr. President", an open letter to the US President George W. Bush which featured the Indigo Girls and became a No. 1 hit in Belgium as well as a top five hit in Germany, Australia, and other countries; "Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)", a UK top 40 and Australian top five entry; and "'Cuz I Can". The album has sold over 1.3 million copies in the US, as well as over 700,000 copies in Australia. The album proved very popular in Australia, with six top five singles and a record-breaking 62 weeks in the top 10; so far the album has gone 10 times platinum.

In support of the album, Pink embarked on the world I'm Not Dead Tour, for which ticket sales in Australia were particularly high; she sold approximately 307,000 tickets in Australia, giving her the record for the biggest concert attendance for an arena tour by a female artist.[45] One of the London shows on the tour was taped and released as a DVD, Pink: Live from Wembley Arena, where she sang Linda Perry's "Whats Up?". In 2006, Pink was chosen to sing the theme song for NBC Sunday Night Football, "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night", which is a take on "I Hate Myself for Lovin' You" by Joan Jett.[46] She contributed a cover of Rufus's "Tell Me Something Good" to the soundtrack of the film Happy Feet, and lent her name to PlayStation to promote the PSP, a special pink edition of which was released.[47]

Pink at a secret London performance to promote the Funhouse album, on November 4, 2008

On August 7, 2008, Pink's single "So What" was leaked online, and radio stations across Australia were quick to give it massive airplay. Less than six hours after the leak, "So What" was voted No.1 on Nova 100 Melbourne and shot to No.1 on the Today Network's national radio Hot30 Countdown.[50] On August 22, Pink announced a new track, titled "Crystal Ball". On September 18, 2008, "So What" became her second number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100.[citation needed]

Pink was the guest of honor at the 2008 ARIA Music Awards, which were held in Sydney, Australia, in October 2008. There she sang "So What". On November 3, 2008, Funhouse debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA charts. In Australia it sold over 86,000 units in its first week, and was eventually certified eleven times platinum.[51]

Pink's Funhouse Tour started in France on February 24, 2009, and continued through Europe until mid-May, with supporting act Raygun. Pink then performed a series of shows in Australia, all of which sold out. Between May and August 2009, she performed for a total of more than 600,000 Australian fans at 58 shows around the country.[55]

On July 15, 2010, Pink fell out of a harness which was supposed to carry her across the crowd during a concert in Nurnberg, Germany.[62] She was rushed off stage and taken to a local hospital. She was not seriously injured.[63] Pink moved a total of 3,000,000 concert tickets on her 2009–10 worldwide tour, according to a statement on behalf of UK tour promoter Marshall Arts.[64]

In the first week of October 2010, Pink released "Raise Your Glass", the first single from her first compilation album, Greatest Hits... So Far!!!. The song celebrates a decade since Pink's debut in 2000 and is dedicated to her fans who have been supporting her over the years. The song peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Pink's tenth Top 10 hit, and her third number-one on the chart.[65] She released the compilation album on November 12, 2010, and almost a month later she released the album's second single, named "Fuckin' Perfect." The song reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100[66] and peaked at #1 in Germany.[67]

Pink voiced the character of Gloria in Happy Feet Two, which premiered on November 18, 2011 in the United States. She also sings the movie's theme song, "Bridge of Light".[68]

On October 7, 2011, RCA Music Group announced that it would be disbanding Jive Records, along with Arista Records and J Records. With the shutdown, Pink and all other artists previously signed to the labels would release any future material through RCA Records.[citation needed]

In February 2012, Pink confirmed that she was in the writing process for her next studio album, The Truth About Love. It was preceded with the release of its lead single, "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)", in July.[69] The single peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, while reaching number one in Australia and Hungary, and the top five in Canada, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Released in September, The Truth About Love debut atop the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 281,000, making it her first number-one album in the United States.[70] It also topped the charts in Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Sweden, and Switzerland,[71] and became the world's sixth best-selling album of 2012 according to the IFPI. The album was certified double platinum by the RIAA for two million copies shipped and has sold over seven million copies worldwide.[72]The Truth About Love received positive response from music critics and was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards.[73]

"Try" was released as the second single from The Truth About Love in October 2012 and became a worldwide top-ten hit, peaking at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100. In February 2013, Pink released the fourth single, "Just Give Me a Reason", featuring guest vocal by Nate Ruess of fun. It became the most successful single from The Truth About Love, topping the record charts in more than 20 countries worldwide and becoming Pink's fourth number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100. According to the IFPI, the song was the fourth best-selling digital single of 2013 with 9.9 million copies sold worldwide.[74] The song won the Billboard Mid-Year Award for Favorite Hot 100 No.1 Song, and garnered two nominations for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Song of the Year at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.[75] Three further singles, "True Love", "Walk of Shame", and "Are We All We Are", was released throughout 2013 to less commercial success. On February 13, 2013, Pink kicked off her sixth tour, known as The Truth About Love Tour, in Phoenix, Arizona.[76]Billboard released a statement on June 14, announcing that Pink held the No. 1 spot on their Hot Tours chart, as the American leg of her Truth About Love Tour grossed over $23.6 million.[77] She still held the title a week later, as the European leg grossed $30.7 million.[78]

In addition to her work for The Truth About Love, Pink appeared on the track "Guns and Roses" on T.I.'s album Trouble Man: Heavy Is the Head.[79] The song has been certified Gold by the ARIA for sales of 35,000 digital downloads shipped in Australia.[80][81] She also wrote two songs, "I Walk Alone" and "Lie to Me", for Cher's new album, Closer to the Truth.[82][83][84] Pink starred as a sex addict alongside Gwyneth Paltrow and Mark Ruffalo in the 2013 movie Thanks for Sharing.[85] The official trailer was released on June 27 and the movie premièred on September 20, 2013.[86] Her legal name, Alecia Moore, is used for the movie credits. Her role as Dede was heavily praised by critics. robertbert.com comment on her performance saying "Of all the cast here, the least experienced is the pop singer Pink, yet she does the best acting in the film: natural, a little harsh, a little unstable. Pink, like Macy Gray in her Lee Daniels movie roles, knows instinctively how to behave on camera by just pretending that the camera isn't there."[87]

her highest charting end-of-year song and album; with Just Give Me a Reason sitting at number 7 on the Hot 100 and The Truth About Love placing at number 8 on Billboard 200.[90][91][92] In Australia, Pink has had an album placed at number one or two in the ARIA End of Year Albums Chart for six out of the past seven years as The Truth About Love topped the chart for two years in a row.[93] She was the 9th top grossing music artist of 2013, with $20,072,072.32 earned.[94]RCA Records later announced that they have signed Pink for a multi-album deal that will last for years to come. The singer was quoted about the deal saying "I am super-duper excited to continue onwards and upwards with RCA and my team there".[95]

Pink has named Janis Joplin and Madonna as two of her biggest musical influences.[99] She said "[Joplin] was so inspiring by singing blues music when it wasn't culturally acceptable for white women, and she wore her heart on her sleeve. She was so witty and charming and intelligent, but she also battled an ugly-duckling syndrome. I would love to play her in a movie."[100] Of Madonna she stated "I'd seen artists change styles and fail miserably, but I've also seen artists change and continue to do well. That's why Madonna has always been an inspiration for me." Additionally, Pink said "I wanted to do it my way with my career, and I had this arrogant notion that people weren't just interested in my music but me as a person. That was my bit of arrogance, I guess. That's something I learned from Madonna. I was a fan right from the first time I heard 'Holiday.'"[100] Pink also won her first talent show singing Madonna's "Oh Father".[101] Other influences include Joan Jett, Mary J. Blige, Billy Joel, Linda Perry, and Whitney Houston.[102][103]

Pink has a contralto vocal range.[104] Throughout her career, she has received applause from critics for her powerful vocals.[105][106][107][108] Her voice has been described as "raspy", "husky", and "distinctive."[109] James Montgomery of MTV calls her "a deceptively good singer ... who can out-sing almost anyone".[108]The Guardian describes her voice as "prodigious".[110] Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times labelled her as "a powerhouse vocalist".[111] Pink has also received acclaim for her "raw", "soulful" voice and her ability to emote. The Inquirer defined her voice as "husky" and "gutsy", further complimenting her for developing into a "powerfully emotive vocalist", while comparing her to Janis Joplin.[112] The Star Tribune commends her by writing, "Her slightly raspy, slightly soulful voice made you feel the dysfunction in 'Family Portrait', the longing of 'Who Knew' and the empowerment in 'Perfect'."[113]CNN has said that Pink is known for singing "with the right level of emotion".[114] Fellow pop artist Kelly Clarkson believes that Pink's voice is "the best of our generation".[115]

Pink, aside from her musical feats, has also become known for her style and work outside of music. She has often been seen as "adventurous" with her hair, and has had styles such as fluorescent spikes to pink-streaked dreadlocks to a pitch-black skater cut.[116] Regarding her style, she told InStyle "I'm eclectic. I'm a tomboy, but I'm kind of a hippie and kind of a gangster [...] I don't know if that's a good thing, but it is my thing."[116]

Pink is an animal activist and a prominent campaigner for PETA, contributing her voice toward causes such as the protest against KFC.[117] In conjunction with PETA, she criticized the Australian wool industry over its use of mulesing. In January 2007, she stated that she had been misled by PETA about mulesing and that she had not done enough research before lending her name to the campaign.[118] Her campaigning led to a headlining concert called PAW (Party for Animals Worldwide) in Cardiff, Wales on August 21, 2007.[119] In 2015, she posed nude for PETA's "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur," campaign.[120]

Pink has been credited for breaking boundaries and pushing the envelope throughout her career. She is regarded as the "most trailblazing artist" of her pop generation.[111][127] Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times says, "Pink stood up for her music, broke the music industry's mold and scored a breakout hit, challenging a school of teen singers to find their own sounds as well." He adds, "[Pink] also started a race among other teen pop stars like Christina Aguilera to add substance to their own sound."[128] Referring to her as a "powerhouse vocalist", Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times asked, "Why isn't she an even bigger star?"[111] Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone commented: "I think people respond to her sense of independence and dedication. It inspires people ... This is a prolific pop artist who is sometimes famous and successful, sometimes obscure, who nonetheless keeps making her own kind of music. Every few years, the spotlight comes back around to her—but her fans can trust that when the spotlight moves along, Pink will keep on writing Pink songs."[111] Powers adds that her mix of rock-style rebellion, emotional rawness, humor, and "infectious" dance beats created "a model for the mashup approach of latter-day divas such as Avril Lavigne, Katy Perry, Kesha, and even Rihanna."[111]

James Montgomery of MTV describes her as "a fabulously fearless pop artist" who can "out-sing almost anyone out there. She can out-crazy Gaga or Lily. She's the total pop-star package, everything you'd want in a singer/entertainer/icon. And still, she remains oddly off the radar. Such is the price of busting borders, I suppose."[127]Entertainment Weekly said: "She essentially invented the whole modern wave of Pop Diva Domination: You can draw a straight line from "Get This Party Started" to Katy Perry, Kesha, pre-messianic Lady Gaga, and post-weird Rihanna."[129]Glamour Magazine wrote: "When Pennsylvania-born Alecia Moore debuted in 2000, pop was dominated by long-locked blonds like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Jessica Simpson. Pink changed the game. Without her, the last 13-years of big-voiced, tough chick music is hard to imagine."[130] Jon O'Brien of AllMusic stated that Pink's music provided "the benchmark for the careers of Kelly Clarkson and Katy Perry, to name just two."[131] "Although never quite achieving the cultural impact (and infamy) of contemporaries such as Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, she's proved surprisingly durable and influential (would there be any Katy Perry or Ke$ha without Pink?)", wrote John Murphy of musicOMH in his review of The Truth About Love.[132]

In a 2012 cover story on Pink, The Advocate wrote: "The singer has changed the sound of modern pop music irrevocably [...] paving the path for many of today's most popular modern female artists, including Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Rihanna."[133] Bill Brotherton of the Boston Herald seconded this notion while reviewing The Truth About Love Tour, saying: "It's hard to imagine that Katy Perry, Rihanna and even Gaga would have achieved superstar status without 33-year-old Alecia Moore leading the way."[134]

Following her performance at the American Music Awards of 2012, LZ Granderson of CNN wrote: "... our culture's biggest sin may well be the auto-tuned syrup we've allowed to dominate the pop charts. All-time chart records are handed to vacuous acts such as the Black Eyed Peas and singing awards are given to vocal lightweights such as Taylor Swift [...] But thank God for Pink. [...] While Christina Aguilera has a tendency to oversing, Britney Spears can't sing, and Lauryn Hill sorta stopped singing, Pink has managed to carve a brilliant 13-year-career by being something that is incredibly rare these days—an artist."[135] British soul singer Adele considers Pink's performance at Brixton Academy in London as one of "the most defining moments" in her life, saying "It was the Missundaztood record, so I was about 13 or 14. I had never heard, being in the room, someone sing like that live. I remember sort of feeling like I was in a wind tunnel, her voice just hitting me. It was incredible."[136][137]

Pink met professional motocross racer Carey Hart at the 2001 X Games in Philadelphia. Following a brief separation in 2003, Pink proposed to Hart in June 2005 during a Mammoth Lakes motocross race; she was "assisting" in his race and wrote "Will You Marry Me? I'm serious!" on a pit board. He initially didn't notice and continued on for another lap. When he did notice later, he veered off the track to accept right then. She then made him finish the race because she wouldn't marry a loser.[145][146] They married in Costa Rica on January 7, 2006.[147]

In 2010, she appeared on ForbesThe Celebrity 100 list at #27, with earnings of $44 million.[160] In 2011, she appeared on ForbesThe Top-Earning Women in Music list at #6 with earnings of $22 million, with an average of 1 million per show on the road.[161] In 2009, Billboard put her at the 6th place on their Money Makers list, listing her earnings as $36,347,658.[162] In 2013, she appeared on Forbes list of Highest Paid Musicians, with the earnings of $32 million.[163]

^Aldridge, Kristen (October 2012). "How Pink Stays in Rock-Star Shape". Shape (The American Media, Inc.). Retrieved October 19, 2012. In June the superstar told Cosmopolitan that although she occasionally eats chicken and fish, her diet is mostly vegan.